Carriage of Goods by Sea: Should the United States Ratify the Hambug Rules

On March 31, 1978, the United Nations Conference on the Carriage of Goods by Sea adopted the Hamburg Rules to replace the Hague Rules of 1924 as the guiding instrument on international carriage of goods by sea. The new rules embody several changes in the liability for cargo damaged or lost in transit by sea. This Note focuses on the two most important substantive changes: The elimination of the so-called "catalogue of exemptions," and the change in the maximum liability limitation.